What's the Difference Between a Waterman Expert II and Expert III?

by TomOctober 23, 2014

In the pen world, sometimes manufacturers can take the same model and update it to improve upon the design, tweaking the size, trims, nib or body shape enough that they need to release it as a "sequel" to the original. Such is the case for Waterman with their Expert II & Expert III New Generation.

The Expert II had long been one of the most popular modern Waterman pens. Their business-minded designs and elegant finishes look as nice as a Mont Blanc while being about 1/3 the price. In 2011, Waterman had updated the design ever-so-slightly and introduced the Expert III "New Generation."

For the most part, Waterman did not mess around with a great pen. Here are some of the subtle differences, illustrated in our photographs below. Comparing apples to apples, we chose the Matte Black with Chrome trim in both Expert Series II & III.

Firstly, let's look at packaging. At the time of the Expert III's introduction, Waterman started shipping their Hemisphere, Expert, Perspective, Charleston & Carene Pens in a deluxe, satin blue Waterman gift box with cream-colored fabric interior. When we had purchased the last of the Expert II's, they arrived in the same presentation box. No difference with the packaging.

Looking at the "top" of the pen, the cap of the Expert III has more metal in the cap band, with "Waterman Paris" engraved into the metal. The same branding is imprinted into the lacquer band of the Expert II, giving the logo more contrast. The same goes for the opposite side of the cap, where you would see the word "France."

The overall body shape and size of the Expert had not changed one bit. Both pens are exactly the same length, girth and dimensions when capped, opened and posted. In fact, while taking the photographs for this post, I had mistakenly swapped the wrong cap on the body of the pen a couple of times. They are that similar!

The nib is really the only other main difference. The material is still the same polished stainless steel with plastic feed, but the nib graphic was updated slightly. Going for a more minimalistic approach, Waterman got rid of the hexagon that surrounded the "W" on the nib and made it larger while shrinking the "Waterman" name underneath.

Currently, we're running a special Weekly Dip (ends October 30th, 2014) that offers our remaining inventory of the Waterman Black Matte Expert II fountain pen at a substantial discount. The difference is price is astounding. Our current price for the Expert III is $134.95, but, for a limited time, the Expert II Black Matte fountain is $99.95, that's a whopping 25% off the already discounted sale price.